18 Comments

• 1. Mandy&hellip  |  April 9th, 2008 at 7:51 am

  While I agree that humans are on a path to destruction for themselves and the planet, I am deeply disturbed by a lot of the viewpoints I have heard from Mr. Tolle and Oprah. My major disagreement with them concerns God. I’ve heard them say that God is a “feeling experience, not a believing experience. If your religion is a believing experience, and if God for you is still about a belief, then it’s not truly God.” I’ve heard them say that God is not a being, but the “totality of the essence of all life.” Oprah has said on the air that there are many ways to get to Heaven, but the Bible clearly states that Jesus is the only way – that no one comes to the Father (God), except through Jesus. Mr. Tolle has even said that there is no death.

  I would just like to ask that, if you must read this book, please be careful about what it convinces you of, and follow it up with “Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid” by Carrington Steele. This comment and what I’m saying here is not about me being right or wrong. It’s about the fact that I care about you, and everyone else who reads this blog. You deserve to hear both sides of this arguement, and you deserve to know that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light. He is the only way to eternal life, and the only way to Heaven. Death is very real. Heaven and Hell are real. And God is more than a feeling.

• 2. Tracy&hellip  |  April 9th, 2008 at 8:05 am

  Very well said, Mandy!
  I saw a clip where she said it bothered her when she was in church and heard the pastor say that “God is a jealous God”, and she did not believe that. Believe it or not, God wants to be the center of our love and admiration. I pray that she will see the truth in the Bible and stop misleading people.

• 3. Karen Bushy&hellip  |  April 9th, 2008 at 8:43 am

  Julie, the “group think” that is a hallmark of this book and others like it is one of the great dangers of it. Mr. Tolle is no great philosopher…have you read his bio? He has decided to contradict the Holy Bible, and because he is a good writer (or has good editors) we are to believe him? I don’t think so! I must say, I’m a little disappointed that you would insert that into your business communications, especially something that is going to go so much against what so many of your faithful customers hold very dear – - – their belief in God.

  I think what’s happened to Oprah is that she is very bored and looking for ‘something new’. A deeper study of Scripture can be very convicting, AND WITH AN ETERNAL CONSEQUENCE. Mr. Tolle can be very ‘convicting’ for a while, but then hey, if you don’t agree anymore, you can just go do something else. Oprah wants to be in control, and someone like Tolle ‘allows’ her to do that. The Bible does not – - – the Bible says God is in control – it is HIS world, not hers (nor Tolle’s, for that matter!)

• 4. Judy&hellip  |  April 9th, 2008 at 8:46 am

  Julie, I was very disturbed to read of your admiration for this book and this author. Just to emphasize what Mandy and Tracy have already said the Bible in the inspired word of God and it is clear about the way to heaven – Jesus Christ – God is jealous, but not of us as individuals. As Tracy stated He wants to be number ONE in our lives and is jealous of anything or anyone we put before HIM. Including our own EGO. We as human beings all have a void. It’s a Jesus void. And until we accept Him as Lord and Savior, we will continue to search and look for ways to fill that void.

  A larger concern of mine is that such a hugh public figure such as Oprah, who has done GREAT things for people, made hugh contributions and donations to charities, is endorsing this idea. Several books in the Bible, especially Revelations, say that there will be many led astray by antichrists. There is no doubt in my mind that Satan is using Oprah and this author to sway or confuse and convince those that are lost or not fully ground in the Word of God that there is another way.

  My prayer for you, Julie and your husband and the thousands of others that are being mislead by this “me-gospel” is that you research, beginning with the Bible, this man’s claims and compare them to the truth. Long after this man (and Oprah) are forgotten, God and His Word, will remain.

  You and your family are in my prayers.

• 5. Cindy&hellip  |  April 9th, 2008 at 8:50 am

  Cheers to Mandy ~
  Julie we have been discussing this at our church and it is a very scary thing. I don’t know what religion you are but please do a little research on this before you get much more into it. Oprah has said there is many ways to “Heaven” but those who believe in Jesus and God know there is ONLY ONE way. Please just take a little closer look.
  May God continue to Bless you and your family~

• 6. Pat&hellip  |  April 9th, 2008 at 9:56 am

  Amen, amen and amen! to all of the above. This book, this philosophy, and the “church of Oprah”, is very disturbing. She has money, power, and influence, and can do great good, but can also mislead many people. Many people today are seekers and that is understandable. We must be aware, though, that “spirituality” doesn’t necessary translate to true belief. Please be very careful to measure any new ideas by the Bible. Blessings and love to you.

• 7. Cathy&hellip  |  April 9th, 2008 at 1:30 pm

  Praise God for all the comments posted!

  The link for this “new church” and Oprah denying Christ recently hit my in-box (http://youtube.com/watch?v=JW4LLwkgmqA). How very scary. Almost immediately I received Julie’s email speaking praises on this man and his book. Julie, I pray that you are a believer, and if you are, as a sister in Christ, I pray with love that you would please guard your heart and keep your eyes focused on God, not men.

  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.

  I wish you and your family many continued blessings.

• 8. maureen Groves&hellip  |  April 9th, 2008 at 4:22 pm

  Julie: You said it EXACTLY how I have been thinking it. I’ve got all of my friends listening and reading this book too. It has changed my life, and I feel like I can understand what is going on with people better, not take things personally and in general be happy and more loving to everyone I see (I think they’re somewhat surprised reaction, and positive response is what helps to make me feel happier.)

  I am a medical caregiver, and always was bothered by man’s apparent misinterpretation of Jesus’ words. This explains it, and it makes so much more sense. How could someone, who is supposed to be religious and believe in what GOD stands for, say it is bad to read something that helps people to be more loving.

  But then the ego is speaking, and this helps us to see why they do that, doesn’t it? We should be saying “is that so…” Thanks for mentioning this great book. (isn’t life easier now???) Maureen

• 9. Mandy&hellip  |  April 9th, 2008 at 8:47 pm

  Maureen, I’m sorry that you feel that disagreement = ego problems. I think it’s a wonderful idea for people to be more loving. That is the central message that Jesus taught us. To love each other, and to love God. I just want to say that my earlier comment is not based on me. It’s not based on my ego. It’s based on love for mankind. If you wanted to hear all of my personal opinions about what’s going on here, I could definitely indulge you. But it’s not about me. If you were speeding down the highway toward a bridge that was out, I would try to warn you about it rather than just watch you plummit to your death.

  There will likely be many comments on both sides of this issue. All I ask is for your understanding that my comments are not meant to criticize, or to “let my ego speak.” The comments I make are purely made from the heart, because I care about all of you. If you want to know “why they do that” as you said in your comment, please don’t analyze and pass judgement on our motives without hearing us out or by taking them out of context. We’re just asking that you be careful when making decisions about what you believe.

  Love in Christ,
  Mandy

• 10. Karen Bushy&hellip  |  April 9th, 2008 at 9:35 pm

  Mr. Tolle (Eckhart is not his real name – he changed it from Ulrich) had no formal education after 13 years old. He took some courses, enough to go to some Univeristy classes, but did not take a degree at either institution. He suffered through a very serious bout of deep depression, and he claims this new philosophy of his came about as a result of that. The current book is described as follows:

  “Tolle is not aligned with any particular religion or tradition. However, in the book ‘Dialogues With Emerging Spiritual Teachers’ by John W. Parker, he has acknowledged a strong connection to J Krishnamurti and Ramana Maharshi and stated that his teaching is a coming together of the teachings of both those teachers. In addition, he states that by listening to and speaking with the spiritual teacher Barry Long, he understood things more deeply.

  Influences which are alluded to in The Power of Now are the writings of Meister Eckhart, Advaita Vedanta, A Course in Miracles, mystical Islam, Sufism, and Rumi’s poetry, as well as Zen Buddhism’s Lin-chi (Rinzai) school. The book also interprets sayings of Jesus from the Bible.” end of quote

  He is as much entitled to his opinion as anyone else is, but for so many people to blindly follow a Pied Piper-type personality away from Scripture that has survived over 2000 years is quite sad, to say the least.

  Many of us will continue to believe in the redemptive power of the Risen Christ. Some will choose to follow Mr. Tolle. If he is right, Christians will have lost nothing in eternity. However, if Christianity is right, those who have put their faith in the power of themselves and in the likes of Mr. Tolle and his “all about me” philosophy – no matter how he plays with the words it is still a promotion of ‘self’ – will suffer the consequences the Lord has declared….and that will be tragic, indeed. We are also told that there will be a special measure of judgment wrought upon those who lead the lambs astray. That isn’t a position I would want to willingly assume.

  I don’t deny that there is a place for this kind of discussion. I remain distressed that it would have been introduced as part of a Scrapbooking supplies site. It does give a strong indication, however, of the hypnotic effect of the group-think process that Oprah has enhanced with the power of her millions of dollars and her wide television audience. They ARE drinking the Kool-Aid….who would have thought we would see it again in our lifetime? This guy is a smoother, German-accented version of Bob Jones!

• 11. Clarinda&hellip  |  April 10th, 2008 at 8:11 am

  I too was very disturbed by your comments. I’m not here to say one way or another. There are some very good comments from the ladies above. If you want to know the whole truth check out all sides then make a decision. I was looking for a place to ask that you take me off your e-mail list. Sorry but I try not to support any that totally go against what God has said and is if I know about it. That goes for all locally based stores and web.

• 12. Julie Swatek&hellip  |  April 10th, 2008 at 8:37 am

  Well, I certainly didn’t think I was going to stir up so much discussion! I only wanted to recommend it because it has helped me so much in my relationship with my husband and my kids and to help me not get so irritated about things. I have always been a defensive person and I never knew I had an ego that could fill a whole room.

  One thought that struck me as I was reading all of the above comments: I am so grateful to live in a country where we are free to have our own beliefs and to share them openly.

  I truly didn’t mean to offend anyone, but if I did, please accept my most sincere apologies.

  Julie Swatek. President
  Scrap Your Trip®

• 13. Mandy&hellip  |  April 10th, 2008 at 10:02 am

  Hi Julie,
  I, personally, am not at all offended by your comments. You have always come across very sweet, kind and friendly to me, and I have always admired how you add so many personal touches to your business. It feels more like a friend-to-friend organization than a producer-to-consumer organization, and I love that! So even though we’ve never met, and even though we’ve never had any one-on-one conversations, in some ways I think of you as a friend. Because of that, I felt I needed to share my concern with you about this subject. I hope that I have not been offensive with any of my comments, either. I just feel that Mr. Tolle and Ms. Winfrey are very persuasive, and I hope that you are cautious about what you glean from their teachings.
  Blessings,
  Mandy

• 14. Kelli&hellip  |  April 10th, 2008 at 11:32 am

  Hey Julie,
  I love Eckharts book and the classes Oprah and Eckart have online every Monday night. I feel that if this book can help people love and respect eachother more and help make the world a better place….WHY NOT!

  I love your website. You have such gr8 products! I enjoy working with you and your team.

  Keep up the good work!

  Kelli

• 15. Karen Bushy&hellip  |  April 10th, 2008 at 12:58 pm

  I, too, am a HUGE fan of SYT, as witnessed by the boxes and boxes full of yummy things that arrive regularly in my scrapping room. Julie, I think you had a superb idea to set yourself apart in a huge, crowded field, and you’ve done EXCEEDINGLY well with it. I just pounce on the computer each week to see ‘what’s new’ for the week, as evidenced by how early in that day you have my order in hand.

  My purpose in commenting on the whole Tolle issue is that my now-deceased husband escaped from behind the Iron Curtain when he was 17 years old. He was a foreign-born American citizen who couldn’t get out because the Communists wouldn’t let him go.
  He spent the first 17 years of his life being subjected to the kind of group-think mental persuasion (the hallmark of Communism and many of the other ‘isms’ of that era.) that is being implemented by Oprah and Mr. Tolle. I saw what it ultimately did to him, and all of the free world saw the result of it.

  If you have traveled extensively in what used to be the Soviet Satellite countries you see the remnants of that ‘group-think’ that still lingers, and how devastating it was and still is.

  I can only hope that those who choose to follow such a path sincerely and deeply consider what they are doing, especially internally…..to themselves, to their own psyche, and ultimately, to their eternal soul.

  I will continue to enjoy SYT and the wonderful things I find to feed my happy addiction – - – scrapping family memories!

  Glad to see so many SYT fans willing to stand up for what they believe!

• 16. maureen Groves&hellip  |  April 10th, 2008 at 4:58 pm

  I just suggest that you all read the book, listen to what is being said before you make a judgement. The comments you currently make suggest you have heard from others what was said, vs. actually experiencing it yourself. That is what I think of as a group “think”. The ideas simply resonated with me, and I am not willing to see evil in things that seem right deep inside me. It’s ok if you don’t agree. If you listened to Chapter 4, they even say that this IS NOT A RELIGION. It can enhance your religion. He says he is not really for or against religion, and I don’t think of him as some great intelligent person who I am going to worship for life. He is human, and no human is perfect, as no priest, rabbi, or head of any church is. I am always skeptical. But what my deep inside feeling says I have to believe, because it is helping me through so much. I have never found this with any church, but that doesn’t mean someone else wouldn’t find it through a church. It isn’t in competition. And it doesn’t matter anyway.

  I love how I feel. I love the reaction I get from others. I was so ready for this. To appreciate nature, accept what is happening now (as I cannot change it anyway) and be comfortable in my own skin- what a relief!!!!

  So anyway, if I caused another negative reaction by my negative reaction, that is exactly the opposite of what I should have done. But it is the past, I cannot change it, so I go on. I’m not going to dwell on it.

  I just wanted to support Julie, because when she mentioned the book, I couldn’t believe that for once, I read her comments completely, and they happened to say EXACTLY what I was thinking about at that moment.

  It was MY ego that overcame me. I shouldn’t have become defensive. There was nothing to defend. Thanks for caring enough to comment.

• 17. the Duke&hellip  |  April 16th, 2008 at 9:25 am

  Greetings!

  It is my sincere hope and intention NOT to stir this pot any further…however, (you knew it was coming!), I thought I might post a perhaps out-of-perspective view – (I am a male, first-time visitor to this site) – in drawing one’s attention to several other sources of information, ‘scripture’ in varied forms, and let us hope, INSPIRATION in whatever life each may be living today, right this moment.

  Toleration. Appreciation. Celebration. Liberation…

  We have many sources & histories of belief in this ever-shrinking planet of ours:

  “Sacred writings of religions, comprising a large portion of the literature of the world.

  Scriptures vary in form, volume, age, and degree of sacredness. Nearly all scriptures were originally oral and were passed down as memorized texts through several generations before being put in writing. In some religions, notably Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, there is still strong emphasis on the value of reciting or chanting the scriptures aloud. The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is the scripture of Judaism; the Bible (Old and New Testaments together) is the scripture of Christianity; and the Qu’ran is the scripture of Islam. Scriptures of Hinduism include the Vedas and Upanishads. See also Adi Granth; Avesta; Book of Mormon; sutra; Tripitaka.” [ Britannica Online ] (…so it would seem that there are at least a few other perspectives to consider, should one choose to make pronouncements on the Fate of another’s very Soul, I might wonder?)

  This is the World-Wide-Web…our world. Let’s leave room for everybody, n’est pas?

  Thank you, & with respect to all who posted in this regard – now may we allow these fine people to get back to doing what brought us together in the 1st place? = 0)

  Keep up the exceptional work, SYT.

  Your newest fan,
  the Duke

• 18. Barbara Medal&hellip  |  May 4th, 2008 at 10:46 am

  my first time on your blog and my impression you are a very loving and caring mother concerned with the welfare of your children. I am a grandma now have 4 sons and 5 grands. Today we face more danger than we know. Books are wonderful as entertainment and tools. My advice, look to what is going on in government and the world to insure your childrens future in nation that is being robbed of sovereignty and freedoms. Take a looooong look at polititians and our educational system. The left is telling us about the myths of global warming and undermining our morality for the sake of control. Read Laura Ingraham’s Power to the People.
  lastly a quote about what is happening and has been for many years.
  1953 – The Impact of Science on Society by Fabian Socialist Bertrand Russell is published in which he declares: ” I think the subject which will be of most importance politically is mass psychology….Various results will soon be arrived at: that the influence of home is obstructive….although this science will be diligently studied, it will be rigidly confined to the governing class. The populace will not be allowed to know how its convictions were generated. When the technique has been perfected, every government that has been in charge of education for a generation will be able to control its subjects securely without the need of armies or policemen….Educational propaganda, with government help, could achieve this result in a generation. There are, however, two powerful forces opposed to such a policy: one is religion; the other is nationalism….A scientific world society cannot be stable unless there is a world government.
  There are forces underway that are destroying our nation that will affect my grandchildren and your children adversly and check out nass.org to see how even our vote has been compromised with in the hijacked Primary system. God bless America!